A Busy CEO’s Daily Grind and His Quest for Authentic Food

A Day in the Life

Early Start
Wakes before dawn at ~6 a.m., uses the quiet hour for stretching or running.
Family Check‑In
Quick call to his mother to keep the bond alive before heading to work.
Skipping Breakfast
On weekdays he skips breakfast, opting for coffee instead.
Weekend Feasts
Eats a large meal on weekends; the exact reason is unclear, but his body just does it that way.
School Drop‑Off
Drops kids at a French international school, then arrives at the office near Grand Central by ~8:15 a.m.
Solo Management
No assistant. He schedules every meeting himself, taking short breaks to handle emails before the next call.
Quality Control Visits
Each morning he visits a nearby restaurant, sometimes during lunch rush, ordering chicken kebab with tahini to taste the core menu (mostly chicken shawarma). He keeps a low profile, checks food quality and cleanliness, and talks to staff about any issues.

Ingredient Negotiations
Spends significant time negotiating ingredient imports from Lebanon. The seven‑hour time difference and different business customs delay fresh samples. Tariffs add complexity, but he hopes 20–30 % of products can come straight from the homeland.
Customer Feedback
Formerly handled every customer review personally; now delegates to a trusted staff member who sends weekly summaries, cutting his daily email load by ~150 messages.
Complaint Management
Learned that reacting to complaints late at night stresses the team and is unhealthy.

Litchfield, Connecticut
On summer weekends retreats to Litchfield. Plays tennis for 4–5 hours on Sundays and works a bit on Monday to stay prepared.

Pre‑Bed Activities
Plays chess online, reads a few pages, and avoids screens an hour or two before sleep.
Sleep Hygiene
Goes to bed around 11:30 p.m., limits wine, and disconnects from devices. Sleep score rarely exceeds 80 but he is working to improve it.